Squeeze-bottle atomizer for acid liquids



Nov. 28, 1950 c. s. SCHOPMEYER S'QUEEZE-BOTTLE ATOMIZER FOR ACID uqums Filed Nov. 18, 1947 .C.S. SCHOPMEYER ATTORNEY Patented Nov. 28, 1950 SQUEEZE-BOTTLE AT LIQU OMIZEB FOB. ACID IDS Clifl'ord S. Schopmeyer, Lake City, Fla. assignor to the United States of America as represented by the Secretary of Agriculture Application November 18, 1947, Serial No. 786,598

(Granted under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended April 80, 19281: 370 0. G. 757) 4 Claims.-

This application is made under the act of March 3, 1883, as amended by the act of April 30, 1928, and the invention herein described and claimed if patented in any country, may be manufactured and used by or for the Government of the United States of America throughout the world for governmental purposes without the paymentto me of any royalty thereon.

This invention is directed to a spray device designed to deliver a. substantially predetermined amount of atomized liquid. It is particularly directed to an atomizer for spraying small quantitles of sulfuric acid solution, orother liquid, on wounds on trees to prolong the flow of oleoresin from such wounds.

One object of this invention is an atomizer so proportioned and designed that drops of acid on the tip of the nozzle are withdrawn into the nozzle and the container upon releasing the pressure.

A further object of this invention is an atomizer operable by finger pressure to deliver predetermined amounts of liquid repeatedly over long periods of use without deterioration.

The invention is illustrated in the drawing, in which:

Figure l is a vertical section of one form of the sprayer;

Figure 2 is a vertical view, partly in section, of the mixing tube and a part of the liquid delivery tube of the device of Figure. 1;

Figure 3 is a section on line 3-3 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a vertical section of the second form of sprayer, omitting the container, which is the same as in Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a vertical view, chiefly in section, of the mixing tube, the upper part of the delivery tube, and a part of the extension tube of the second form;

Figure 6 is a section on line 6-4 of Figure 5.

The device comprises a plastic container I, preferably of polyethylene, a liquid delivery tube 4 fastened to a mixing .tube 2 which in turn is fastened in an aperture in the cap 3. All of these parts are of acid-resistant plastic.

The bore 6 or the mixing tube 2 is much narrower than bore 9 of delivery tube 4. The ennular chamber 5 formed between the tube 2 and the neck 8 of the container is of much larger cross-sectional area than that of the bore 6 of tube 2, for example, 800 times as large.

In the sides of the tube 2 are two or more symmetrically and oppositely placed air passages I transverse to bore 6. These air pasages are 2 preferably placed adjacent to or immediately at or below the inner face of cap I.

The extension type shown in Figures 4 and 5 dififers from the first type in-having the liquid delivery tube 4' extend through the cap 3 into a tube [0 which is an extension of the air space I3 in the neck of the container. A second difference is that the sides 01 the mixing tube 2' are shaped so as to form air spaces II, in the form of cylindrical segments connecting with the air passages 1' of the mixing 2'. Mixing tube 2 has a bore 1. a

Each of the devices thus consists of a nozzle and a container sufllciently rigid and acid-resistant to stand and maintain its shape when filled with a solution of sulfuric acid, of high concentration, and at the same time sufilciently elastic to be compressible under pressure exerted by the fingers on one hand of the person holding it. In the single opening of this container is fitted the nozzle constructed of an acid-resistant plastic. The dimensions of the air passages and the liquid passages in the mixing tube, and the distance between the discharge orifice and the air passages are interrelated so as to limit the delivery rate of the liquid phase of the spray to approximately 0.4 ml. per second, using 40 to percent solutions of sulfuric acid. These dimensions also permit delivery of approximately 1.6 m1. of acid solution using a single squeeze on the bottle when the bottle contain more than 125 ml. of air.

In operation the container is filled leaving an air volume of approximately ml. and the nozzle is set in place. The side walls of the container are pressedwith the fingers of the person operating the device. The pressure thus formed inside of the bottle forces a portion of the liquid up through the liquid delivery tube to the mixing tube and at the same, time the air enclosed in the container is forced into the mixing tube through the two air passages. The mixture of air and liquid then emerges from the discharge orifice in the form of a spray or small droplets. After releasing the pressure on the side walls of the container, its elasticity brings the walls of the container back to their original size and shape thus creating a suction which draws air back through the discharge orifice into the container until all of the air used in the previous ejection of spray has been replaced. This suction also pulls residual drops of liquid out of the mixing tube, the upper portion of the liquid delivery tube and back into the container and thus prevents dripping between spray ejections.

The sprayer requires no metal irame ior supporting the flexible container. The container in readily removable, and are accessibleior inspection, cleaning, calibrating, or replacement by a tube of another size. The length oi each transverse passageway or bore I, i is greater than the diameter of said bores.

The extension type is suitable for attaching to a conventional hack used in wounding pine trees for the production or oleoresin and thus forming, with suitable modifications of the hack handle, a single tool which is used for both making a wound and applying a solution oi. sul- !uric acid or other liquids to the wound.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. An acid-spraying device, for spraying a solution of mineral acid on wounds on pine trees to increase the flow of oleoresin, made of acid-resistant plastic material, comprising: an acidproof, self-supporting, polyethylene elastic plastic compressible container for the acid; air and acid mixing means mounted by the container, comprising a metering tube having an axially and upwardly extending bore and transverse radial bores communicating with the axial bore and arranged symmetrically around the circumference of the tube, an acid delivery tube connected to the lower end of the metering tube and extending below the acid level, the transverse bores communicating with the air above the acid level in the container, the transverse bores being in alignment, the transverse bores being oi the same length, the axial bore of the metering tube being finer than the bore of the delivery tube, and being straight throughout its length and visible and accessible from the outside.

2. An atomizer for acid liquid, of acid-resistant materials, comprising an acid-proof, organic plastic, elastic, compressible container for the acid, of suiiicient rigidity to be sell-supporting,

a closure for the container, an upwardly directed mixing tube supported by the closure communicating at its upper end with the atmosphere, an

'acid delivery tube that extends downwardly below the acid level in the container and communh cates at its upper end with the lower end 0! the mixing tube, transverse air passages in the side or the mixing tube symmetrically arranged around the circumference of the mixing tube and adjacent to and below the upper outlet oi the mixing tube and providing for passage of air.

from the air space above the acid level in the container to the axial bore of the mixing tube, the mixing tube bore being straight throughout its length and finer than the bore oi delivery tube and being visible and accessible the outside. 7

' 3. An atomizer for acid liquid, made of acidprooi materials, comprising: an acid-resistant, organic plastic, elastic, compressible container for the acid liquid, of sufllcicnt rigidity to be self-supporting; air and acid mixing Jncam mounted by the container, comprising a metering tube having an upwardly extending axial bore and transverse bores communicating with the axial bore and arranged symmetrically around the circumference of the tube, a liquid delivery tube connected to the lower end of the metering tube, the transverse bores communicating with the air above the liquid level in the container, the transverse bores being in alignment, the axial bore of the metering tube being finer than the bore of the delivery tube, and being straight throughout its length, and visible and accessible from the outside, the container being provided with a closure member, an upright extension tube mounted upon said closure, the metering tube being supported in the upper end of the extension tube.

4. An atomizer for acid liquid, made of acidproof materials, comprising: an acid-resistant, polyethylene plastic, elastic, compressible container for the acid liquid, of sufllcient rigidity to be self-supporting; air and acid mixing means mounted by the container, comprising a metering tube having an upwardly extending axial bore and transverse bores communicating with the axial bore and arranged symmetrically around the circumference of the tube, a liquid delivery tube connected to the lower end of the metering tube, the transverse bores communicating with a the air above the liquid level in the container,

the transverse bores being in alignment, the axial bore of the metering tube being finer than the bore of the delivery tube, and being straight throughout its length, and visible and accessible from the outside, the container being provided with a closure member, an upright extension tube mounted upon said closure, the metering tube being supported in the upper end of the extension tube.

CLIFFORD S. SCHOPMEYER.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

171011, p ge 106. 

